The Golden City

The next morning just as the rays of the morning sun started to break past the trees, Ethan, Caleb and Ava decided to pack up and head out to Aurumville. For the twins, the journey back to the city was much easier and safer thanks to Ethan's presence. The group encountered a few beasts every now and then but Ethan was quick to dispatch all of them effortlessly, demonstrating just how much proper equipment made a difference when hunting beasts.

[You have slain ×3 Spiked Forest Serpents.

+45 EXP!

565 / 761 Experience points.]

'My leveling speed has slowed down considerably.' thought Ethan when he took a glance at how many experience points he had earned. 'I'll need to start prioritizing beasts of at least level 5 and higher now.'

Ava became a little concerned when she noticed Ethan's serious expression. "Are you hurt anywhere? I have a few herbs with me that can help if you need them."

"Oh no, I'm fine.", Ethan quickly replied. "I was just thinking about some things."

Ethan then gathered all the beast corpses and stored them inside his CSU before they continued walking. The reason he had to store the all dead bodies was because Ethan had no way to explain to Caleb and Ava that he had a system that automatically harvested beast cores for him. No one had ever heard of anyone having such an ability except for those MC's of popular novels, but those were just fairytales.

(A/N: *Cough cough*, sure.)

On the bright side though, Caleb had informed Ethan of a store in Aurumville that bought beast materials, regardless of rank or level. Hearing this, Ethan felt annoyed with himself for having left so many beast corpses behind.

'Oh well, lesson for next time.' Ethan lamented. Suddenly, he frowned as a random thought occured to him.

"Hey, when those bandits where chasing you guys, how did you manage to run all the way into the middle of the forest?" asked Ethan.

Caleb tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean? We used our legs of course."

This snark reply earned Caleb a kick to his bottom, making him jump up and yelp. Ava giggled, watching her twin rub his poor bum while staring at Ethan in indignation.

"I'm guessing you're asking how we managed to run so far without any of the beasts attacking us, right?" Ava asked.

Ethan nodded.

Ava gave him a smug smile. "Have you heard about Sagebrush shrubs? They produce a very fragrant pollen that is hated by almost every beast in the forest."

Ava then took a moment to point at her's and Caleb's clothes. "We made sure to collect a bunch of it and rub it all over ourselves in order to discourage any beasts that might've passed us by. Naturally, it was my idea."

Ava puffed up her little chest proudly and looked at Ethan expectantly, as if waiting for him to shower her with praise. Ethan chuckled and patted her head, making Ava close her eyes and smile happily.

"You're quite smart, Ava.", said Ethan, genuinely impressed with the girls quick wits.

Caleb pouted when he saw his sister being spoiled. He was the one that had actually done all the hard work of hunting the beasts. Sure, the monsters he had killed were only Vanishing Dust Bunnies that barely even qualified as level one beasts and really only needed a kick to kill them. But still, he played his part too!

Ethan noticed Caleb's jealous expression and made sure to pat his head as well. "You did a good job too, buddy. Good work."

"Don't patronize me...", Caleb snorted under his breath, but he made no move to push Ethan's hand away. Ethan smiled at the little boy's antics and mused that this was probably what having younger siblings felt like.

"Ah! I can see the city gates!" Ava suddenly shouted in excitement, pointing at the shiny golden gates about half a mile away from them.

Ethan's eyes widened a little in surprise at the shear size of the city, which was nearly two times bigger than Cygnus. "That's Aurumville?"

Ava smiled in amusement. "Don't be surprised just yet. Wait till you've been inside."

"Yeah, come one and hurry up!" urged Caleb before he started running. "Mom's probably about to wake up!"

Ethan and Ava looked at each other before shrugging and running after Caleb as well. As they neared the gates, Ethan was glad to notice that the guards standing on duty didn't ask him for any sort of toll or ID for verification of his identity. As one of the most popular trade cities in the Everia Kingdom, Aurumville's gates were always open and welcome to all who wished to trade their wares.

"Oh...my...days..." Ethan whispered in amazement as they entered the city, his eyes widened in awe at the breathtaking sight before him.

The name Aurumville was latin for 'Golden City'. Years ago, when the founder of Aurumville first decided to establish the city, he had vowed to build a city of vast wealth and prosperity for the sake of the future generations to come.

And his dream had surely been realized.

Towering skyscrapers made of gleaming metals and glass pierced the sky, their rooftops hiding behind a veil of clouds in the sky. The streets hummed with the gentle whir of hover cars and the chatter of merchants hawking their various wares. People of all shapes and sizes bustled through the streets, their faces a blur of activity.

Ava grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying Ethan's stunned expression.

"Told you it was impressive," she said, her eyes sparkling with pride.

Caleb, already familiar with the city's grandeur, took the lead and weaved through the crowds with ease. "Come on, Ethan! We need to get to the market before Mom wakes up!"

As they navigated the streets, Ethan marveled at the technology integrated into the city's infrastructure. Holographic advertisements flickered above street corners, and levitating platforms ferried people across busy intersections. The very air was thick with the smells of exotic spices, freshly baked pastries, and the clang and tang of metalwork.

As the group turned by a corner, an enormous marketplace came into view. Stalls upon stalls of colorful fabrics, rare artifacts, and strange devices stretched as far as the eye could see. Ethan's senses were overwhelmed by the cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells.

"Welcome to the Golden City's Aurum Bazaar, Ethan," Ava said, her voice full of excitement. "Here, you can find almost anything your heart desires...as long as you're willing to pay for it."

"This place is incredible...", said Ethan, not used to the bustling atmosphere.

As they navigated deeper into the marketplace, the grandeur of the Aurum Bazaar unfolded before Ethan's eyes. Vibrant silks and clothing colored his surroundings in all sorts of patterns. More merchants touted their wares and customers haggled like their lives depended on it, from rare artifacts to enchanted trinkets, in a symphony of loud clamor and cheerful laughter.

Ava led the way this time, expertly dodging shoppers and stalls, only stopping every once in a while to say hello to a few shop owners that she was familiar with. Caleb simply waved, not bothering to converse much with anyone because he knew they were rushing somewhere.

"Come on, Ava.", Caleb complained after Ava had stopped by yet another stall. "Mom's gonna kill us if she doesn't find us in our beds!"

"Okay okay, you grouch.", said Ava as she bid goodbye to the a lovely old lady who would sometimes give her free candies. "Let's–"

Suddenly as Ava turned to face Ethan and her brother, her eyes widened in fright and her body froze. Ethan and Caleb frowned, wondering why she was acting so strange of a sudden.

"What's wrong, sis?" Caleb asked.

Ava didn't seem like she wanted answer her brothers question and remained as stiff as a statue, with cold sweat plastered across her brow.

"Caleb dear?"

Caleb flinched when he heard a voice call his name behind him. A voice he was very familiar with. He gulped nervously and forced his body to slowly turn around and look at the woman who had called him.

Behind him stood a beautiful lady with gentle hazel brown eyes and long, curly brown hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her slender figure was draped in a simple yellow sundress and sunhat.

"Caleb, Ava," said the twins' mother, Lyra with a smile on her face. "I see you're back. And you've brought a friend."

Her eyes shifted briefly to Ethan, who waved at her awkwardly in greeting. Although Lyra was smiling, there was no warmth in the smile on her face and this sent shivers down the trio's spines.

"Mother," Ava said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We can explain."

Lyra's expression remained unchanged. "I'm sure you will, dear. Why don't we all go have a nice long chat?"

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A/N: Welp, they're screwed. Don't forget to comment your favorite part and vote with powerstones.

If we can get up to a 100 powerstones, I'll upload two chapters per day for a whole week.